Journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva has been sentenced to 8.5 years in prison by a court in the Russian city of Pskov. Prokopyeva was accused of “justifying terrorism” last year after giving a speech on a local radio station that was critical of a bombing attempt at her local Federal Security Service office. Prokopyeva was not present at the trial, as the law does not require her to be, as it can take place in absentia.
The court found Prokopyeva guilty of “inciting terrorist activity through mass media” and “attempts to publicly justify a terrorist act,” she now faces 8.5 years in jail, followed by an additional five years of supervised release. The court sentenced Prokopyeva to a significantly harsher sentence than the one requested by the prosecutor (6 years).
The case has raised alarm in Russia and abroad about the state of freedom of expression in the country. The ruling has sparked new criticism of the Kremlin’s wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, with its critics saying it has made it increasingly dangerous to publicly criticize authorities.
In a ruling seen as a powerful statement against press freedom and a free exchange of ideas, the court determined that Prokopyeva’s comment presented certain “elements of justification” and “public approval” of the attack, which effectively amounted to “incitement to terrorism”.
The ruling has been widely condemned by human rights and media groups, who say it sets a dangerous precedent for journalists and other public figures across Russia.
